E-cigarette company Juul has agreed to pay the state of Washington USD 22.5 million and reform its advertising to prevent underage use, reports Bloomberg.

The lawsuit filed by Washington state in 2020, accused Juul Labs Inc. of targeting underage consumers with its advertising campaigns and not clearly stating its products nicotine content. Now, Juul has agreed to a USD 22.5 million settlement with Washington state over the claims. This comes after the company had already paid out USD 40 million to North Carolina over similar claims last year.
Apart from the financial settlement, Juul has also agreed to reforms which include stopping all advertising that appeals to youths and no longer promoting its products on social media, reports Bloomberg. Furthermore, Juul must check stores in Washington 25 times a month with secret shoppers to make sure its products are not being sold to youths.
“Juul put profits before people,” Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement. “The company fuelled a staggering rise in vaping among teens,” he added
Juul released a statement saying: “This settlement is another step in our ongoing effort to reset our company and resolve issues from the past. We support the Washington State Attorney General’s plan to deploy resources to address underage use, such as future monitoring and enforcement.”